


Tic-Tac-Toe

by ifeelsodirty



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, MT!Prompto, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-04-29 00:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14461341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifeelsodirty/pseuds/ifeelsodirty
Summary: When Prompto defects from the Niflheim Empire as a teen, things are set in motion that will turn the tides of war around. It's hard to place where it began, but the meeting of Prompto, probationary Junior Technical Advisor, and Ignis, Advisor to the Prince and active Junior Tactical Advisor, is as good a place to start as any.





	1. Barely Briefed

Ignis would give anything for a quiet life after the last two days. The chaos that had erupted was astounding, and it was even more of a shock to come back to it after they had been placed on lockdown for two of those weeks. Being placed in close confinement with Noctis and Gladio had been enough to leave him with a permanently raised blood pressure, he suspected. Of course, they were the two people that he would be most willing to face the end of the world with, but perhaps not in a small house in the middle of nowhere, with no windows. At least they had remained capable of speaking to each other when the dust cleared.

Or at least they would have been if the news hadn’t been so shocking. Captain Drautos had been revealed to been General Glauca. The same monster that had raided Fenestala Manor, ancient seat of the Oracle, and razed the surrounding environs, almost capturing King Regis and Noctis in one fell swoop. To think that he had been lying in wait amongst them all this time, posing as one of the most loyal of them was harrowing. How close had they come to complete disaster? Ignis despised the fact that this was the first time he had even considered it. After everything was over.

They had been lucky that they prepared thoroughly. However, even taking Drautos, (no, Ignis meant Glauca, he chided himself) by surprise, the battle had left several Crownsguard injured and the King’s Shield in hospital with a gaping wound in his side. Gladio had not taken the news well, especially after they had been left in the dark. Gladio believed that he should have been there alongside his father and Ignis couldn’t hold that against him. He too rankled at the feeling of ignorance he had been left with.

He was still feeling peeved when he was called into a meeting, almost thirty six hours after their lockdown had been rescinded and they had returned to the Citadel. A bit vexing when he had been previously left incommunicado. Yes it was petty, and scolded himself for such behaviour, but he just couldn’t help himself, he had never been at such a loss in a time of such crisis. As he sat down at the table, he looked around at the fellow members and couldn’t help but guess how many of them knew what was going on. From the hushed mutterings and grumblings he could pick out, not many of them. He greeted them cordially, pushing down his frustration as best he could. It would do him no good to give them reason to think he was being juvenile. Soon enough, his patience was rewarded as the King, the Marshall and a woman who Ignis was high enough clearance to know as Vera, leader of Lucis’ Intelligence network, entered. For her to show her face meant this was of the utmost importance. Everyone stood to greet them as they came in. King Regis received them and sat down at the head of the table, motioning for everyone to follow.

The room was silent in anticipation.

Ignis watched the King for a few moments. He did indeed seem heavy, weighted down by his burdens, Ignis tried to recall which lines had been there when he had last looked, what shade of grey his hair had been and how thick or thin. And yet, there was a certain lightness that set him apart, despite the grave news. His Majesty bore an aura of relief, the kind that one has when something terrible had gone the best it could, when disaster was narrowly averted with less damage than expected.

Ignis was wary of such luck.

“Ladies and Gentlemen.” The King had the rapt attention of all in the room. “You have all heard many things over the past days and it is time to put all of the rumours to bed.” His Majesty nodded to the Marshall to begin and Cor opened the folder in front of him.

“Six months ago, we were informed by a Niffleheim defector that Captain Drautos was none other than General Glauca. This claim was accompanied by a large amount of miscellaneous information, some pieces related to this allegation.” There was muttering that quickly rose up, as the councillors’ silent questions could not be contained any longer. Who was the defector? Were they a Minister in the Empire? Surely they must be of high ranking to obtain such knowledge. The King raised his hand and the susurration died down once again.

“The veracity of all of the intelligence had to be checked before anything could be acted upon. As you can probably gather, it checked out.” Cor continued. “However, there was no indication of how far this deception went. Amongst the packets, there was the report to Imperial Command that Drautos was in a position of great influence, but no firm details on how, when and even if this was used. This is why the information has been kept tightly under lock and key, there was no knowing how deep this went.”

“How are we sure that this wasn’t some sort of trap or deception by the Empire? To damage confidence in our leadership?” Asked one Councillor. By the looks of the sheets scattered in front of him, he’d jumped a little around the folder. Ignis scanned through them quickly to follow.

“As stated, the information was checked over thoroughly by both myself, Vera and Lord Clarus with a fine tooth comb. The evidence was extensive and added up to more than could just be written off by mere coincidence or an attempt at defamation. Once we were sure, we needed to split him from his men, however it has been difficult to tell who, if anyone, was on Glauca’s side. We have some evidence of some... persuasion but nothing more.”  
There were more mutterings of realisation. A joint Crownsguard and Kingsglaive training missions outside the wall had been announced a month previous, a rare occasion indeed. But it all suddenly made sense, despite the dangerous novelty it had seemed at the time.

“Once this was arranged, we readied a raid to bring him in or take him out. You all know the reports on how powerful he was in his role as General Glauca. At 0700, both myself and Lord Clarus led a team of men to apprehend him, having ascertained that he would be in the training area at this time, with as little interference as possible due to everyone else being sent away. We informed Drautos of the charges that were held against him and that he was under arrest and warned him to come without force. Shortly after, he...” Cor hesitated, looking for a better word but couldn’t find one. “Transformed into his armour and proceeded to attack at full force, causing injury to two crownsguard in his first attack and causing substantial damage to the training hall. It became obvious that we would not be able to apprehend Drautos with either non-lethal or even conventional use of force.”

He turned the page, which detailed some information about Magitek Armour. It was frighteningly familiar, Ignis had previous accounts of engagements with the General; though he would deny that some of the first had given him nightmares. “We had been issued information about the armour and possible countermeasures against it. We were unsure as to its efficacy and so it was left as purely a last resort. It was used in order to prevent the fatal injury of Lord Clarus, approximately five minutes into the engagement. The interaction between the Armour and the agent used to disrupt it proved to be fatal. The remains have been taken for further examination by the Intelligence Services.”

Only Cor could be one to maintain such composure in the face of such a report. There were pictures of the scene and the spiralling mess that was all that remained of the Captain of the Kingsglaive. It must have been an awful way to go and Ignis’ stomach turned a little despite his anger towards the man. When Noctis had come home from Tenebrae, he had been healed in body only. The wounds that guilt and regret caused had only deepened. And now the man responsible was dead.

“We currently have the remaining members of the Kingsglaive in remand, awaiting processing. It should be quick, as we’ve been monitoring for months now. We can clear at least half of the Glaives for duty immediately, but their response to their fellow members being incarcerated and interrogated was deemed to be an unknown. The whole division is on hold until we can be one hundred percent sure we have all of the threats under control. This might seem a little unfair to you.” Ignis could detect a small amount of sarcasm from the Marshal. He knew damn well that most of them around the table couldn’t give two shits about the state of the Kingsglaive. Some of them might even think that it was the best thing to happen for them to just be swept under the rug and forgotten about.

It was definitely unfair. Ignis would have to remember to keep tabs on this development and make sure that it progressed smoothly and more importantly, quickly. The less time there was for things to stale and sour, the better. More of a chance of having any of their finest fighting force standing at the end of it all. It was a matter of national security, that was all.

And not that Ignis himself might miss some of the Glaives that he’d had the pleasure of working alongside.

“But we should have all of this processed by the end of the month.” Another nine days was a short timescale for such a thorough investigation, but would it be short enough? Ignis was unsure. “At which point we will have to find a new Captain for them.” At least Cor sounded optimistic if he was planning that far ahead. “If anyone has any suggestions, I’ll be happy to take them” Again, Ignis highly doubted that half of the members around the table could name any member, let alone recommend one of them for a promotion.

“And that is the current state of the matter.” Finished King Regis. “And I ask you for your honesty now. Who here had any suspicion of the Captain?”

There were some murmurs of contemplation, but even the most sycophantic of them couldn’t say that they had any idea. Ignis thought hard and came up with nothing as well.

The King looked towards the Vera, who gave a slight nod back to him and the Marshall.

“Very well.” Said the King. Ignis was at a loss.

“As I am sure it might have occurred to some of you, we currently have an asset in our hands that we have yet to fully utilise.” Vera spoke up for the first time in the meeting. “Due to the nature of his position, his help might best be gained in a practical manner, instead of just information.”

“What if it’s a trap again?”

“Drautos’ cover was so perfect that it would be sheer insanity to replace him with another agent, particularly one who is... not capable of gaining as much power. Still of course precautions will be taken, escort and guard will be required, for his own protection as well as ours.” She turned to one of the council members. “We’d like to introduce him to your engineers, Sir Aliquis. I think you’d find the information he has on the latest Imperial technologies simply fascinating.”

Ignis had always admired the way the woman managed to get even the most cantankerous nobles to do as she asked, with a little compliment here and just a little pressure there. The nobleman couldn’t help but splutter as he had to balance the task against his curiosity.

“Of course Lady Vera.” Sir Aliquis replied, recovering well. “Will he be cleared for the workshops, or should we just have a meet and greet?”

“We’ll see what can be done by next week, there’s a few things that need to be handled first, and we’re sorely lacking the manpower to do it all. Just be ready when I call.” He nodded.

It hadn’t answered any questions about this... man, Ignis thought. He ran through the folder again and all he could find was a summary, only a paragraph long. The defector was a young man who was a relative of one of the researchers in the Magitek Research Division and his close proximity enabled him to escape to Lucis with reams of valuable information.  
How bloody vague.

More details would no doubt be available on a need to know basis. But Ignis wanted to know regardless. He wondered if he would be able to get his hands on more information. Perhaps once he was introduced to others?

There was still muttering about this decision, a little quieter now that most of the councillors were happy that it wasn’t their problem anymore.

“The situation is currently quite delicate as you can imagine.” Finished His Majesty. “You’ll be informed if there are any further developments, you should be prepared to be summoned with little notice in the coming days.”

Ah, just a normal day for Ignis then.

Finally, everyone at the table began to move, rising up from their seats and leaving the folders on the desk, as the materials weren’t cleared to leave the room in their hands, at least not yet. Ignis was the last to move, he pored over the few sheets as though he could deduce something from them if only he looked harder again. And again. And again. But he couldn’t glean that which just wasn’t there. Which was going to be terrible when he had to brief Noctis and couldn’t answer the prince’s questions, much less satisfy his own.

“Ah Ignis, could we have a word?” The King asked.

“Of course your Majesty.” He sat back down, two seats closer to them. They waited for the last of the others to leave the room before continuing, leaving only Ignis, Cor, Vera and the King.

“How are things Ignis?” Asked Regis, beginning with pleasantries. “I must apologise for these past days, I am sure it must have been difficult for you to be kept in the dark like that.”

Yes it was. “Noctis’ safety comes above all else.”

“Ah if only he could see it that way.” Sighed Regis. “ Still I’m sure he made the most of the opportunity to catch up homework... or video games.” he chuckled. Ignis would have laughed along too, but he was beset by flashbacks of coming close to garroting both Noctis and Gladio when tempers flared after a long day of competitive gaming. He went for the neutral road.

“I believe napping was the activity of choice Your Majesty.” He delivered with a wry smile.

“Ah yes, of course, how could I forget.” Regis’ face fell a little. As much as it was a habit that those who were friends and family tended to joke about, the chronic fatigue was a sign of things to come. “I’m glad your time away was so uneventful.” As was Ignis. “However, we now have a task that we think you would be well suited for. Hopefully it will only be for the short term, perhaps a month or two.”

“Of course your Majesty.”

Cor turned to him. “You heard before that we’d like to introduce the young man who helped us to the engineers. He’s not very much used to... Lucian culture or Insomnia, so we would like you to show him a few things to help.”

“I see... But wouldn’t that be a better job for someone else?” Was he a babysitter now? This seemed.. well, if not demeaning, than awfully like typecasting. Just because he cared for Noctis most hours of the day didn’t mean he was going to start running daycare for whoever they pleased. He reigned in his irritation before it showed on his face.

“For some of it perhaps, but our aim is to have him join the command team, probably supporting as a technical advisor. As someone also on the command team, it might be best if he were to shadow you to learn the procedures and so forth. Eventually after some acclimation.” Finished Vera, who cast Cor a quick glance, almost in admonishment. Ignis wondered if they each had different plans for this young man they were discussing.

“Hopefully he’ll find his feet quickly enough.” Regis reassured. “So, will you do it?”

“I’ll be happy to help, Sire” Ignis supposed that if it was going to be someone he would be working with in future, it would be best to show them how things were done properly. It would save him grief in the long run.

In years to come, he would learn just how wrong he was.

“Cor will bring him in tomorrow to meet you.” King Regis stood up from the table at last. “Say your office at ten am sharp?” Ignis nodded. Provided there were no sudden alerts in the middle of the night, that would be fine. Perhaps he might even bring in some coffee and snacks to break the ice a little.

He became a little bit sidetracked by his internal debate on whether to make or buy pastries. Or cake. Cake was also good, but so early in the morning? Pastries would be more conventional. Before he could get too deep into the argument, he was bidding farewell to the king, who left followed by Vera. Cor idled.

“I’m not sure what you’ll be expecting tomorrow.” The Marshall sounded strangely uncertain. “But whatever it is, just keep an open mind, okay?” And with those ominous words, he left too. What did he mean by that? Ignis wondered. Was it a warning? Ignis was going to hate waiting for tomorrow.

As he expected, forwarding the briefing to Noctis was a real trial of his patience. He barely knew any more than Noct did and it was frustrating him too.

“For the last time, Noctis, I don’t know.” The words were almost bitter in his mouth. “We will find out more tomorrow, when I have a meeting with the...” Oh dear, he hadn’t been meaning to let that slip, preferring to wait until he could get a measure of the man he was to meet.  
“You’re meeting the informant tomorrow?” Noctis perked up. If Ignis could get him this enthusiastic about anything else, he wouldn’t have much of a job left to do. “Why? That’s weird, isn’t that kind of weird Gladio?” Gladio shrugged from the other end of the couch.

“I would’ve thought Intel would have been dealing with it themselves.” Gladio leant forward, hands on his knees. “Gotta admit, I’d kinda like to meet this guy myself.” hIs voice had taken on that slight growl it took when he got serious and angry. It set Ignis a little on edge. He knew he’d taken his father’s hospitalisation hard, even if the latest news was that he was recovering well.

“You don’t think that this informant’s involved, do you?” Ignis mused, still trying to work out the likelihood of it all being part of some grand machination. But if it was, it would be a mess of a scheme and a bloody risky one at that. The advantage the Empire had over their heads was massive, and to gamble that away without any particular reason to do so would be the biggest mistake they had ever made. No one was going to be rushing this newcomer into the fold, even if he did enter the engineering teams. Niflheim had so great a technical advantage that nothing in Lucis could match it, and their security measures would then prevent any new, live information from getting out of the Empire, even if the informant finally passed muster for the command team. And the newcomer would never be able to hold command like Drautos did, or be in a position to sway so many people. He would be lucky if he were able to do so much as sneeze in the Citadel without someone breathing down his neck.

“Nah.” Answered Gladio. “It just seems too stupid.”

“Sometimes I feel like that lends strength to it being the reality.” Countered Ignis.

“Maybe if they were losing and under pressure.” Like us, was the statement left unsaid, but it still loomed a little over the room. “This would just be some asshole getting bored. Or maybe Draut- Glauca pissed off some of the Niff higher ups...” The more he spoke about it, the less clear it became. “Fuck, what would you have to do if you were that secure in your position, to piss off someone that badly, fuck the Emperor’s daughter or something?”

“He doesn’t have a daughter. No family to speak of whatsoever.” Ignis scoffed.

“Exactly.” Gladio waved a hand dismissively. “Not gonna happen. We just have to wait and watch this guy. He won’t be able to do the same thing twice.” The hand formed a fist, resting against Gladio’s knee. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Remind me not to let you near him.” Ignis almost joked, but there was a touch of warning there telling Gladio not to interfere.

“Heh, dunno if I just wanna shake the guy’s hand for exposing him or punch him for causing trouble.” Gladio ran a hand through his hair, clearly having trouble with the choice.

“Well until you do decide, I’ll make sure you don’t meet.” Last thing he needed was the Prince’s Shield punching out Lucian Intel’s most promising asset.

“Why are you meeting him anyway?” Asked Noctis, peering up from where he was now lying on the sofa, hugging a large cushion. For his part, Noctis seemed to be dealing with it all well at the moment. Ignis had made sure to make him something nice for dinner, and he’d go easy on him for the time being.

“They seem to be keen on using his technical knowledge. As such, they want him on the command team eventually.” Ignis took off his glasses and peered at them. Perhaps a smudge on them might be the cause of the headache that was slowly forming. Wishful thinking. Still, he cleaned them thoroughly with the cloth in his pocket. “Only in a supporting role from what I gather. There will be little opportunity for sabotage.” Or so Ignis hoped. So far, inter-agency communication had been abysmal. It might have been one of the things that had contributed to all of this in the first place. It would have to change, they had to learn something from this, or risk it all happening again. “But as I am in a similar position, I am to show him how things are done over here.”

“So he was senior over there?” Noctis was still trying to figure it out. Ignis had given up trying, instead patiently waiting until tomorrow, if only to save his sanity. “Must have been to get the deets like that.”

“Did you just refer to the biggest leak in the history of The War as, and I quote, “the deets”?”

“Yup.” Ignis did despair sometimes.

“I am so very glad none of that education went to waste, Noctis, I really am.” Ignis threw a nearby cushion at him. “Speaking of which, do I need to check you’ve gotten all of the work you’ve missed?”

Noct groaned and sat up, setting the cushions back in their rightful position. “No, I got it all. I’ve got another two weeks to finish it all. I’m just gonna do it with this week’s homework and hand it in at the same time.”

“Well if you need a hand let me know.”

“Thanks Ignis.” Then he looked like he’d thought of something. “Hey, aren’t you going to be busy with this mystery man though?”

“I’m hoping not. I was asked to instruct him and show him around, not to be his au pair.” Ignis griped. The other two stared at him. Gladio waved his hand towards Noctis, who just laughed. “Oh for the love of-” Ignis looked for another cushion to throw at the pair.


	2. Push Harder for Decent First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis and Prompto meet and Cor leaves them to it - even if this is the last thing Ignis wants to do today.

The next morning found Ignis in his office, prompt and early, waiting for Cor to arrive with the man of the hour. He’d come in later than normal with coffee, just plain and black, but from a cafe well known for its morning roast. There was milk and sugar and spoons, and he’d taken some of his own cinnamon rolls out to bake fresh that morning. It had made his life a lot easier to make large batches of them at a time, then freeze them and bake as required, once he’d gotten the hang of the cooking times. He hoped they were to everyone's taste, he was quite proud of the recipe.

After a long wait, there was a knock at the door. When Ignis looked at the clock, it read ten am precisely. He called for them to come in. Cor opened the door and came through. Ignis’ own trained gaze caught him checking the room over very swiftly, before allowing the other man through the door and closing the door behind them both.

And now Ignis could see why Cor told him to keep an open mind when it came to meeting the man. 

This first thought that came to his mind was “small”. The person in front of him seemed tiny in comparison to himself, let alone Cor, in whose shadow he was almost curling up in, which made him seem even smaller. Between the hunched shoulders and lowered head, Ignis estimated that he was maybe five and a half foot, almost dwarfed by Cor’s six foot. Ignis was getting there too, almost eighteen and six foot as well. Even though Ignis knew that Noctis couldn’t have been much taller, he at least had an aura about him that made him seem larger, whether it was his actual magic or a force of his personality. This was the opposite, drawing that in to appear even smaller.

Was this what Gladio felt like everyday? It was exhausting.

The second thought was young. Ignis wasn’t even legally an adult yet, but looking at this...boy, made him feel as though he had gained five years just like that. He looked the best part of fourteen, and the height added a year or two at most. Ignis had been expecting someone young, from the tiny summary they’d been given previously, he’d expected a conscientious young man, unable to deal with the sins their family had committed, who was also fit enough and cunning enough to cross two continents and an ocean to deliver it into Lucis’ hands. What he had in front of him was a boy, possibly younger than Noctis (who sometimes seemed too young to Ignis, despite less than two years apart between them).

The third thought was his eyes. Like Cor, they scanned all over the room, quickly and thoroughly. Though where other would look determined, ready to take on a threat, this newcomer looked flighty, ready to run if something so much as looked at him funny. Then he stopped and his expression faded into an almost amused look of resignation. Ignis could almost hear the words; “Well I guess this is it.” He decided that this moment would be a good one to introduce himself. He stepped around the desk and held out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you at last. I’m Ignis Scientia” Ignis began. “I’m afraid you have the better of me at the moment however...”

The boy looked down at the proffered hand before his gaze flicked back to Cor. There was the tiniest of nods, so the boy took up his hand and shook it in three small but precise movements. Ignis almost thought that he could hear him count it out, one, two, three.

“I’m Prompto?” The name rose towards the end, sounding more like a question than a form of address. It would be something to mull on later.

“A pleasure. Would you care to take a seat?” Ignis stepped away from them and returned to his usual side of the desk. Prompto and Cor both sat down, Cor remained ramrod straight and Prompto curled up even more, however impossible it was when his feet remained on the floor. “Would you like some coffee? I wasn’t sure what you would prefer, so I just bought it black. There’s milk and sugar there to add as you like.”

They busied themselves with the drinks for a few moments. Cor passed Prompto the cup with a large amount of care, like he was handing a sippy cup to a toddler. Prompto didn’t add anything until Cor did either, waiting until Cor added one spoonful of sugar and a splash of milk and then doing the same to his own. Cor stirred and then so did Prompto. It was strange, the attention and focus that Prompto paid to the task.

“My apologies it’s nothing nicer.” Ignis took a sip of his own coffee.

“At least it’s not Ebony, right?” Prompto said cheerfully in a quiet voice. Ignis was left at a loss, the urge to defend himself came on suddenly, but he stamped it down and quietly nudged the half empty can on his desk a few inches further behind a stack of paperwork. Cor snorted into his drink.

“Something the matter, Marshall?” Ignis asked icily.

“Nothing at all.” Replied Cor. “Just went down the wrong way.”

Prompto looked at the Marshall with a puzzled expression. The Marshall just shook his head gently and Prompto stopped, looking back down at his drink. Ignis reached for the last plate on the desk and offered it to them.

“What is it?” Prompto peered at them curiously, eyes full of want and hunger. Did Cor not feed him?

“They’re cinnamon rolls, quite a popular pastry for breakfast.” He was also fairly sure they were quite common, even across the continent. Prompto took one, again waiting for Cor to take one first. He sniffed at it, a small one and then a much larger one. His face lit up with delight and then he began to nibble at it, taking the tiniest flakes of icing and pastry. Ignis hadn’t gotten such a reaction to his cooking in such a long time. He put the plate down and picked up his coffee again. By the time he’d taken a sip and put it back down again, the whole roll Prompto had been eating had vanished, leaving behind only a couple of telltale crumbs on his face as evidence. Someone was hungry, thought Ignis amused.

“I’m glad you liked it. There’s more if you’d like.” Prompto reached for another, just as tentative as before.

“They’re really good.” The compliment was quiet.

“Thank you, I made them myself.” Prompto looked up at him with eyes full of awe.

“How?” He asked, bewildered, like the concept was completely impossible for him. Ignis wasn’t sure how to begin. So instead, he glossed over the question.

“So, I understand that we will be working together.” Ignis said to Prompto. Prompto nodded slowly. “Has Cor filled you in with what that entails?” Prompto looked awkwardly at him, unsure of how to answer. Ignis held back a sigh he felt forming. “Well I don’t know a lot about your potential roles with the engineers, but I can tell you a little about the command team, if that would help.” Prompto nodded again, sitting up to pay attention. “The command team is the group of individuals that are called upon to provide support and direction to troops during active operations. Depending on the operation itself, even the King himself might be in attendance.” Although very rarely nowadays, no mission was crucial enough as they had been cut off from every advantage. “But for the usual day to day, it will be some senior officials from the relevant departments, I am a tactical advisor, able to suggest orders as required.” Or order outright, a little tricky with the chain of command so convoluted when he was involved. “ As for the technical team, they will be fielding reports and images from the field, analysing the equipment and weapons the enemy are using.”

“I can do that.” Prompto sounded a little more sure of himself now.

“I’m sure your insight will be invaluable Prompto.” Prompto ducked down a little, but he was bashful instead of plain frightened this time. “From what I gather, there’s a lot of material that has been reported and scavenged without a full identification.” So many pieces of MT units and armour segments, without any clue of how they managed to get them to work. If Prompto could give them any clue, then it would be a turning point in the war. “So there will be plenty of work for you. I hope you’re ready for it.”

“Yes.” Prompto nodded, but said nothing else.

They were shortly interrupted by the blaring of a ringtone. “Excuse me.” Said Cor, reaching for his phone. He answered and made his way outside of the office. Prompto watched every step he took as he left and continued staring at the door for a few seconds after it closed behind him. Then he realised that he wasn’t alone and turned back to Ignis. He didn’t make eye contact and just kept drinking his coffee quietly. Not Ebony indeed; Ignis was a little put out at that. 

Cor re-entered the room, looking pleased. “That was the hospital, they’re going to be releasing Clarus into the Citadel’s care.”

As it had been evacuated of as many personnel as possible on the day of the operation, Clarus had been rushed to the nearest city hospital. It was only a couple of blocks away, easy enough to visit, but the news he was stable enough to be brought back into the Citadel was very welcome. Gladio would be relieved. “I’ve been left with organising the security for it.”

Ah, Ignis felt this becoming a problem already.

“Can I leave Prompto with you, until you have your duties with Prince Noctis?” Asked Cor. Ignis was about to decline with one excuse or another, but Cor was too quick for him. “I’ll get you cleared of work until then. Anyone chasing you up can come to me later.”

Why in the bloody hell did he ask in the first place, though Ignis to himself. He hated being backed into a corner.

“Of course Marshall. Do you have any suggestions for what he needs to do today?” Asked Ignis. Prompto didn’t even know how to introduce himself, let alone venture out into the city

“Show him around the Citadel and the city. Pick up a few things while you’re at it. He knows what he needs.” That didn’t sound promising if Ignis were to be honest. 

“Very well, I’ll do my best.” Ignis agreed. “Please tell Gladio to let me know if he’ll be around for dinner or not.” Gladio would most likely remain with his father and Iris this evening. Although there was also the possibility that Gladio might stick tight to Noctis, just in case his father woke up and found his son shirking his duty. Cor almost smiled. He gave a quick nod to Prompto, who didn’t look particularly happy about the turn of events. He didn’t say anything though.

“Goodbye Marshall.” Prompto said. There was a finality to his words, like Ignis was going to be carrying out his death sentence, instead of a guided tour.

“I’ll see you later Prompto.” Prompto watched again as Cor left again. This time, he didn’t even bother turning back around to Ignis, staring at the door like a dog after its master. Ignis cleared his throat. 

Slowly, Prompto turned around to him. His face had dropped completely and now he had a sullen and resigned look, much less cheery than his earlier expression. Slowly, he drew himself up into sitting straight and looking dead ahead, past anything Ignis had in his office and well into the middle distance.

“Are you finished with your coffee?” Asked Ignis, desperate to break the tension that had developed. Prompto looked down at the empty paper cup.

“Yes.”

“Well then, shall we go?” Prompto didn’t move at all in the time it took Ignis to retrieve his jacket. Ignis began to have an inkling of why he had been asked to do this specifically, considering his previous experience with reluctant teens. Or a certain reluctant teen. He approached Prompto slowly and there was still no reaction whatsoever. So he reached down for the cup, gently pulling it until Prompto’s hands let go. He threw it into the bin and then went to the door, holding it open. Prompto eventually took the cue and followed him. Ignis locked the door behind him. He didn’t see the full body jerk that Prompto did when he heard the jingle of keys.

“Has the Marshall told you much about the Citadel?” Asked Ignis to make small talk. Ignis kept the pace slow to ensure that Prompto didn’t fall behind or get lost.

“No.”

“Well, as you probably already know, the majority of Kingdom is run from inside the building.” It was nothing that a five year old couldn’t tell you, so Ignis didn’t feel like this broke any rules, regardless of Prompto’s tentative security status. “As the monarch is effectively the ultimate authority for all branches both civic and military, most departments have at least a senior official in office in the citadel, even if the work is mostly done elsewhere. I imagine that will apply to you too, doing work off site with the engineers whilst your superiors will report back here. Their offices are somewhere on the twenty third floor. It covers a few departments that have facilities elsewhere.”

Prompto nodded, but didn’t ask anything. The doors pinged open immediately when Ignis pressed the button. He waited for Prompto to step inside. Again, there were a few moments before Prompto moved. The thought that Prompto might attempt to make a break for it crossed his mind, so Ignis followed closely. He tried not to let it take root. If he ended up treating Prompto like a flight risk, he’d ruin any chance of them getting along and increasing the likelihood of it being a reality. 

“We’ll go via the visitor’s centre to drop that off.” Ignis said and pointed at the pass on the lanyard around Prompto’s neck. “Then we can go out into the city proper.” Ignis led the way, still slow, stopping occasionally to check that Prompto was still behind him. When they arrived at the desk, Prompto handed over his pass and the man behind the desk handed over a rucksack that Prompto must have surrendered earlier. It was a little faded, it had clearly seen some use. Prompto signed for it, his hand was shaky as he printed his name - no signature just slightly wobbly capital letters. “All ready?”

Prompto looked a little happier now that he had his rucksack back. It didn’t look particularly full of anything though. “Yes.” Answered Prompto. It was a little louder, a little more confident now.

“Very well, the world awaits.” They stepped out into the daylight. It was a warm day, one of the last warm days of the season and it was nice to be given an opportunity to savour it. They both blinked as they tried to adjust. Prompto raised a hand over his eyes as he peered out into the plaza. Much like he had done before, Ignis could see Prompto trying to make sense and take stock of his surroundings. He was just scared, Ignis told himself, not trying to run away. Ignis began to walk and Prompto followed close behind, one step to the side. 

“Did you know that this plaza dates back to the previous palace.” Ignis began, trying to fill the silence. “Although, half of it has been modernised, the fountains are mostly original barring some restoration, and date almost five centuries old.” Prompto looked out at the water intently, looking for them. “They go off on the hour. It’s quite refreshing in the summer.”

“Why?” He asked. This confused Ignis. Why what? Why mark time? Restore the originals? Modernise the plaza?

“Well they are considered to be of historical interest and therefore worth preserving for future generations to view and enjoy. Even if the main mechanisms are hidden.” This made Prompto frown even further.

“But there’s nothing to water.” It took a moment for things to click for Ignis.

“Yes, the water features are purely for decoration, although the moat itself still has function.”

“But why?” It was a good question, Ignis had to admit. He supposed there were a few reasons, but on a cost analysis, would those have really held up to scrutiny? The real reason is that almost five centuries ago, the then reigning king was desperate to impress his new wife and built her a fountain. Luckily for them all, it worked, the line of Lucis-Caelums continued to pop out the babies they required and there they were. 

That answer might be a little too sarcastic for Prompto at the moment.

“Because people enjoy looking at them.” Ignis surmised, it was as simple an explanation as he could come up with. “Don’t you like them?” He countered. It did little to budge the look of confusion from Prompto’s face. Eventually he shrugged.

“I have no idea.” said Prompto. Ignis was taken aback, as Prompto had changed his accent, he was mimicking someone. Prompto had barely said anything to him in the past half hour, but apparently now he felt comfortable enough to try joking, though it fell flat. What a puzzling child. They looked at the rippling water for almost half a minute more in silence, just basking in the sun. It was nice, but a little awkward. Then Prompto looked up at him again expectantly.

“Right, not one for sights then. We’ll stick to the task at hand.” They moved again, past the bollards and into the crowded streets of the city proper. “What is it that you needed today?”

“I don’t need anything.” said Prompto. His hands clutched the straps of his rucksack tighter. “Cor told me to get something I want.”

“Well, any ideas?” Prompto only shrugged again. This was going to be an exercise of absolute frustration for Ignis.. He sighed. “We’ll see what we can find. Let me know if you see anything that catches your eye.” What had he let the Marshal get him into?

Fortunately for them, a weekday morning was not the busiest time for the city centre, or Ignis would have had a difficult time keeping track of Prompto, who seemed to insist on following Ignis from behind, just outside of the edge of his vision, like a ghost. Very inconvenient when he needed to keep an eye on him. “Could you please walk in front of me? It gets quite crowded and I don’t want you getting lost.”

Prompto gave him a look that Ignis could only take as distrust, but slunk forward in front of him, hands gripping even tighter at the straps of his bag. They went slower as Prompto was leading, and Ignis matched his pace. When he saw Prompto’s eyes linger on a shop window, he tried to lead them towards it. He attempted to work out if there was any pattern to it and what caught Prompto’s attention, but he couldn’t strip down the bright and full displays into items that led to an obvious answer.

Ignis manoeuvered them to the edge of the street. Prompto began to slow down more in front of the shops as he got a better look at them, looking high and low at every part of the displays in the window. He still didn’t point out anything in the windows. 

Suddenly, he stopped completely in front of one window. It wasn’t a shop but a bakery. The smell from inside was admittedly delightful and through the glass Ignis could see many customers sipping drinks and eating warm, tasty treats. However, no matter how tempted Ignis was, they couldn’t indulge, they had just had breakfast. It wouldn’t be long until lunch though and they could come back if it was what Prompto wanted.

Prompto pointed at the window, his finger pressed right up on the glass. It would leave a smudge and Ignis found himself, by sheer force of habit, snapping out.

“Don’t touch the window, Noc- Prompto.” He caught himself. Prompto snapped back his hand as if he’d been burned and stared up at Ignis. He waited. Ignis waited. Nothing happened. “What did you want to show me?” Asked Ignis. Prompto leant down and peered at a row of cinnamon rolls. Ignis thought that his looked just as good as the ones there in the window, which pleased him.

“Is this where you got them from?” Asked Prompto. There wasn’t the tone of accusation that Ignis was expecting, but he still felt robbed of the achievement.

“No, like I said, I made them myself.” Ignis defended.

“Here?”

“No, in my own kitchen at home.” Once again, Ignis felt like he was missing something vital, which would make everything click. Prompto squinted at the rolls as though they held a mystery to be uncovered.

“Not in a factory?”

“No. And these were most likely made in their own kitchen here, at the back of the shop.”

“Oh.” Prompto stood up and peered into the shop, trying to spot it.

“There are some factory made pastries. You’d get them pre packaged in the supermarkets. Not very nice though, I’d stick with the freshly made ones. Even if they go off after a day.” Any baked good was designed to last for more than a week was ruined. With the exception of fruit cake or anything with enough alcohol in it. He had a feeling explaining that would just shoot over Prompto’s head, who still seemed to be reeling about the idea of food being made in a kitchen and not a factory. Ignis found himself remembering a long and tiresome explanation of where food came from, that he’d had to give when he was nine. At least Prompto didn’t actually think food appeared literally by magic. “I can show you how to make them yourself one day if you’d like. Or we could come back and buy some later.” He could take one back to do a taste comparison.

They progressed slowly up the street, and Prompto looked at every display from to top to bottom, corner to corner. Ignis wondered what Prompto was taking away from the whole experience, because he didn’t seem overly keen to purchase anything.  
Then suddenly Prompto stopped again, transfixed by something in the window of the next shop along. He stared for several seconds, before suddenly heading inside. Ignis followed quickly, before he lost sight of him.

Ignis was familiar with this shop, he’d been inside several times over the years. Usually In August when he handed over a list for Noctis’ birthday presents. Even now at fifteen, there were video games to be bought and this was the store with the royal account, so this was where Ignis shopped for them. He didn’t think he would be in here again so soon though and definitely not standing in front of the mountain of soft toys that was one of the store’s most iconic features.

Prompto had picked up one and was now holding it up in outstretched arms. It was one of the larger ones they had, about two feet tall, three foot if you included the long, orange dangling legs that it had. Not quite in proportion to a real chocobo, but who cared when you wanted something to snuggle at night? 

Prompto was clearly enamoured with the thing, as he held it aloft in awe. He brought it close in and looked into its beady eyes, bright and shining under the lights. He turned it round, where there was a soft fuzzy crest, a pair of soft fuzzy wings that hung loose against its body and then a soft fuzzy tail that cascaded down in several parts. Prompto didn’t know what to do with it other than look at it though. Ignis stroked the velvety fuzz. Prompto followed suit. His eyes lit up and the next thing Ignis knew, he was rubbing his face against it, snuggling it tightly. Ignis considered warning him not to, who could guess as to how many children had done the same thing, but with snottier, messier faces? Yet he couldn’t bring himself to ruin the moment.

“It’s so soft.” Prompto’s voice was muffled against the toy.

“Yes. I imagine it’s softer than even the real thing.” Agreed Ignis.

“Yeah.” said Prompto dreamily, accent changing again, it sounded more Lucian, perhaps Leiden?

“Have you ridden a chocobo before?” Asked Ignis, grateful for some thread to grasp for conversation at long last.

“Yeah.” Prompto still didn’t let it go. “Bartholomew was the best bird.”

“That’s a good name.” Even if Ignis suspected that someone had called it that as a joke. Realisation hit Prompto.

“I could call this one Bartholomew.” Prompto wondered out loud.

“If you buy it, you can call it whatever you like.”

“I will buy it then.” Ignis ducked in to take a quick look at the price. This was probably the biggest and most famous toy store in the world, what might be the most simple looking toy could cost a million crowns. The tag said ten thousand. Expensive for just one toy, but not too bad in the scheme of things. Ignis noticed the bear next to the chocobo was over fifty thousand.

Besides, it wasn’t his budget this was coming out of and Cor had messed him about that morning.

“Over to the checkout then.” Ignis had a feeling they could be there all day otherwise. 

Prompto plodded over with the big stuffed toy, heading in the direction that Ignis had indicated. Ignis had to pull him in the right direction, the chocobo’s head didn’t give Prompto a very good area of vision. He hoped Prompto didn’t mind the manhandling. He helped drop the toy on the counter. Immediately, Prompto’s attention was caught by the sweets next to him. Ignis was again overcome by the urge to snap at Prompto to not buy them, like he always had to warn Noctis. He refrained and even held his tongue when he picked up a chocolate bar and examined it thoroughly, reading it up and down. He placed it on the counter along with another that he just picked up without looking at.

The clerk scanned all three items. “That will be 10,198 crowns please.” She stated with a smile. Ignis looked at Prompto, who removed his bag from his back and began to rummage. He pulled out a credit card and then he pulled out a fistful of money. He had to cup is hands to stop any of it falling out. Ignis looked down. There were a few thousand crown notes and several 100 and 500 crown coins. “Cor said I can use the card, but that some places don’t take it, so I should have some real money.”

“Did he not give you a wallet?” Asked Ignis. It was certainly an annoying little oversight.

“I-it was all in a plastic bag, but it split.” Said Prompto, he sounded upset that it had broken. It didn’t matter, a little bag like that was bound to break but Ignis was sure it was an inconvenience to Prompto.

“We should try to find you something to put your money in...” Ignis looked around quickly to see if there was anything suitable. He picked out something over by the pocket money toys. “Over here Prompto.” Prompto dropped his money back into the bag.

There was a rack of small, cheap coin purses, designed for the small amounts of pocket money children might get and available in a variety of different designs. “Look, this one has chocobos on it.”

Prompto looked at the one Ignis was holding out to him. It had a long line of chocobos on it. He reached out to pick it up when he saw another one and picked it instead. It had a large photo printed on it of one of happiest dogs Ignis had ever seen in his life. “This one.” Prompto couldn’t take his eyes from it. 

Ignis was glad that the shop really wasn’t busy at all, so they hadn’t been holding anyone up while they did that. Prompto put it with the rest of the things and the clerk scanned it again.

“Okay, that now comes to 10,497. Is there anything else you would like today sirs?” 

“No I think that will be all thank you.” Prompto wasn’t looking at anything else, Ignis thought it would be a good time to leave.

“Will you be paying by cash or card today?”

“Card I think.” It would be easier. Prompto dug around for it again and pulled it out. He ummed as he didn’t know what to do with it.

“Chip side up and towards me sir.” Prompto turned it around. “That’s it sir, into the slot at the bottom please.” Prompto leant down to see where she meant but quickly located it and put the card in. 

Ignis thought for a moment. He didn’t know how much was on the card that Cor had given Prompto, he really hoped the card wasn’t going to be declined. Prompto would be heartbroken if he didn’t get the toy. Even Ignis might be a little forlorn after the earlier display. Between the cash and the card there would probably be enough.

Prompto’s tongue poked out as he typed in the PIN. Ignis was expecting him to have written it on his hand, but it was clean. He spied an edge of something from underneath Prompto’s sleeve, but it could have been nothing. The reader lit up with approval and then Prompto removed the card. Ignis breathed a small sigh of relief. Then he realised another problem. This was only the first shop they had been in and that was a rather large chocobo.

“I’m sorry, but would we be able to collect it later?” The sales clerk smiled and rang the bell. A woman in a suit came over quickly, smile on her face. The clerk passed the toy over to the supervisor. 

“We’ll take good care of him until you come back.” She said cheerfully. “Enjoy the rest of your day Mr Scientia.”

“Thank you.” He turned to leave. “Come along Prompto.”

Prompto mournfully watched the stuffed toy disappear into the back room.

“We’ll come back for it later.” Ignis promised.

Prompto did not look convinced, but followed anyway.


	3. Maybe a Bit Too Much of Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's more shopping! And food. Maybe a bit too much of it.
> 
> CW: Vomiting (right at the end)

Prompto was not reassured in the slightest by Ignis, he could tell. However, he didn’t argue and just picked up his sweets and the purse. He put one candy bar and the purse in his bag and kept the other one out. They hadn’t even left the store before he began to open it.

 

“Wait until we get outside.” Ignis chided.

 

Prompto did and opened the chocolate just a few steps later. The bar disappeared quickly in a few efficient bites. It was surprisingly neat and quick. He looked about furtively, as though Ignis would have knocked it out of his hands if he were any slower. The wrapper was folded up, and then put into his pocket. At least Ignis wouldn’t have to tell him off for littering.

 

“We should look for a proper wallet for you.” Suggested Ignis. “Is there anything else you might think you need that might have been overlooked?” Prompto had said that he had everything he needed, but the boy didn’t even have something to keep his money in, so Ignis wasn’t sure his judgement was to be fully trusted. “Maybe some other things, do you have enough clothes?” If his previous behaviour was anything to go on, he might only have the clothes on his back. He had a little bit more faith in the Marshall than that, but knew that he could be a little... spartan at times. “The weather will be getting cold soon, do you have a decent warm coat? Gloves? A hat?”

 

“I do.”

 

“Layers to go underneath. Another jumper perhaps?”

 

“I have a base layer, three t shirts, a pair of sweatpants, a pair of combat trousers, four pairs of underwear and socks. And another pair of shoes.” Prompto rattled off in quick succession.

 

It wasn’t too bad considering Ignis’ worst fears, but he had experience of teenage boys and knew that would likely not be enough. Ignis himself would struggle with that, even with the best laundry and dry cleaning rota in the world.

 

“You’ll probably need more underwear. Maybe socks. More everything actually.” Decided Ignis. “Come on, we’ll find it all in one place.” It would be a good time of day for it, less crowds on a weekday. So they were headed for the biggest department store in Insomnia, in fact it was the parent company of the toy store they had just been in.

 

Prompto had been up and down in mood so far or so Ignis thought. Was it normal for him? He couldn’t imagine the Marshall putting up with it for long. Prompto’s mood had dropped again after he’d had to leave the chocobo behind. Surely he understood that he was going to retrieve it later? Hopefully, it wasn’t going to lead into a temper tantrum. Though it had been much like looking after a toddler already.

 

“Prompto wait!” Ignis reached out quickly and pull Prompto back from the road. He was about to walk out into the path of an oncoming car! The car honked its horn angrily as it sped on by. Ignis made sure he had a good grip on Prompto and he was not going to let go until the cars had completely stopped. The walk sign came up, and even then Ignis did not let go of Prompto, moving his hold to his wrist instead. They crossed the road like a parent and child. It was only once they were finally inside the store that Ignis let go. Prompto took back his hand, tucking it with the other behind his back and looking down. He didn’t make eye contact. Ignis wondered how angry he looked to garner that response. 

 

“Please don’t run out into traffic like that! Insomnia has a lot of vehicles, you can’t just step out and hope for the best. You didn’t even look!” Ignis sighed. “Please be more careful in future.”

 

“I- I will.” Prompto stuttered out. He didn’t look up.

 

“Right, well we’ve got a lot of work to do, so let’s get to it.” said Ignis. “ I think you’ll need something suitable for work, some shirts at the very minimum.”

 

Ignis took the lead again and Prompto sullenly followed. Ignis led them through the store past rows and rows of different stalls selling lots of different things. Prompto’s nose wrinkled as they passed the kiosk selling ladies’ perfume. Poor boy looked like he was about to sneeze. He did.

 

“Bless you.” He was pleasantly surprised to see that Prompto had a tissue to wipe his nose with. Wiping others’ snotty noses was a step too far. 

 

The men’s department was above them so Ignis went to the escalators and stepped on without a second thought. Yet when he checked behind him, he saw that Prompto hesitated. It took a few moments for him to take a little jump onto the belt. Ignis hovered at the end of the escalator once he had gotten off, just in case Prompto fell and hurt himself. Prompto made the same little hop to get off. 

 

Unperturbed, Ignis made a beeline for the ready to wear suits. He would send Prompto to  the official tailors if he needed made to measure in the future, however unlikely that was. When they stopped in front of the rows of shirts, Ignis gave Prompto a look over then stepped behind him. “Excuse me a moment.” And he reached up to Prompto’s neck and pulled out the label, quickly reading off the size. It was too big for him, but at least it gave him a maximum to work with. Now if he recalled, that size had a sixteen inch collar, so he should aim for something a bit smaller. He looked back at the shelf full of shirts. He pulled out a couple and then moved along to another part of the section. Trousers, that could be difficult. It was one thing to look at a label on his neck... “Prompto, do you have a label at the back of trousers. I need to have a look.”

 

“Okay.” Prompto agreed. Ignis proceeded carefully, only rolling the waistband over until he saw the label. “Oh, these are children’s sizes.” That wasn’t very helpful. “We’ll just have to guess.” He would go a little smaller than Noctis, he thought. Same inside leg though he would bet. He picked up two pairs in grey and then led Prompto to the dressing room. Prompto looked at the small cubicle with trepidation. Ignis gave him a little nudge on the arm. “I know it’s only a curtain, but no one will peek, I’ll make sure of it. Just come out when you’ve put them on.” Prompto nodded and stepped inside and drew the curtain closed. 

 

Whilst he waited, Ignis checked his phone. He only had three messages: one was from Noct, complaining how bored he was in his class (Ignis wasn’t going to encourage him with a response) , one from a colleague asking if she’d gotten the right numbers (he was pleased to note that she had and just sent a simple reply) and one from his uncle, stating that Cor had explained everything and not to worry. He replied to this one as well. He was too irritated with the situation not to.

 

Ignis: Well at least one of us knows what’s going on.

Uncle Met: It’s unlike you to not do your homework.

Ignis: The king asked me to. It’s not like I could refuse.

Uncle Met: That doesn’t stop you from investigating though, does it?

Uncle Met: If it helps, Cor has informed me that you are aiding in socialising our latest recruit.

Ignis: We are clothes shopping for something appropriate for work. It’s hardly socialising.

Uncle Met: Practical as always. You could at least talk to him.

Ignis: I’m trying but I don’t think I’m getting very far.

Uncle Met: He’s just not used to it. I’m sure he’ll come around.

Ignis: You know more than I do.

Uncle Met: True. But I think this is because the Marshall wishes your interactions to be uncoloured by background information.

Ignis: And is instead influenced by walking into traffic.

Uncle Met: Ah.

Ignis: That was not my choice of words, but yes.

Uncle Met: Some advice then, don’t take even the simplest of things for granted. We don’t all have the same upbringing.

Ignis: Thank you uncle, but I believe I was beginning to work that one out.

Uncle Met: You’re welcome, dearest nephew.

 

Ignis was about to message back, when the curtain swished open. He over at Prompto. Oh dear, he thought, this was going to take a lot of work. The collar was fine, but Ignis could see the fabric straining around Prompto’s shoulders. The rest of the shirt swamped him too, he had it untucked, which didn’t help. The trousers were a little too long too.

 

“Prompto, can you tuck in your shirt please?” He asked. Prompto did so quickly and stood ramrod straight, waiting for inspection. Ignis thought it was very military. “Can you just give the waistband a tug?” He did, and it gave easily, there were a few inches of space. Ignis made a list. “Right, go back inside, take those off and put them back on the hangers.” He remembered to put in the details, unsure of what Prompto would do automatically. “I’ll be back with some more to try on.”

 

He went off to find the next round of items, shirts and trousers again. To be honest, with the shirts, he would be best with going to a real tailor, as Prompto was rather in and out in places. For now, he would have to compromise and just find something that Prompto would be comfortable in. If he looked a little scruffy, that would be fine. He was only a boy after all, people would understand - or so he hoped. Not that they had given himself an inch of slack over the years.

 

“I’m back Prompto.” He announced to the curtain. “Here, pass me out those ones and then I’ll give you the next ones.” They all came out in one stack. Prompto had buttoned them all up, but they were all askew. Ignis passed the next bundle through and then set about returning the others.

 

Once that was done, he still had to wait for Prompto to finish changing, so he returned to texting his uncle.

 

Ignis: Do you think the Marshall’s budget extends to bespoke tailoring?

Uncle Met: It might be worth waiting to see what is in store.

Uncle Met: No point in fancy tailoring if he’s going to be working knee deep in machinery.

Ignis: True.

Ignis: Can I do it anyway?

Uncle Met: Play nice.

Ignis: I am.

 

The curtain swung open again. The outfit looked better this time. The collar was too large now and the arms were just a touch too long, but Prompto no longer looked like he was about to burst out of the garment if he so much as shrugged his shoulders. The trousers were better too. “These will be good enough for now. How do you feel in them?” Prompto looked unsure about it. He shrugged. The shirt held firm. Ignis considered that a success. “Does it feel uncomfortable or hurt in any way?”

 

“No.” said Prompto, stood stock still.

 

“Good.” That was one lot to check off the list. “You can go and change back into your clothes now.”

 

Ignis went back to find more in that size. He decided to go for dark grey shirts. Black at this point in time might be too much of a faux pas, rubbing someone the wrong way, and white or colours would make him stick out even more. Dark grey seemed to be the best compromise. He looked at a nearby blazer and picked that up too. With a matching tie, the outfit was almost complete. Ignis took the last lot of clothes from Prompto once he was done.

 

This was beginning to be exhausting. Ignis thought that he needed a break, and he was used to errands like this. 

 

“I think it’s time for lunch.” Suggested Ignis. “What do you think?” Prompto looked at him blankly. “Are you hungry?” He nodded vigorously. “Right then, let’s just sort this lot out.”

 

Prompto - or Cor’s card, Ignis wasn’t quite sure whose it was, had a better limit than he had thought, still good for over fifty thousand crowns worth of office wear. Ignis had thought he’d been quite reasonable in his choices, they weren’t even particularly expensive brands, but it all added up. The transaction went easier that the one in the toy shop, if only because Prompto did not look half as heartbroken when they left their purchases behind the desk.

 

Instead of heading out of the store again, they went up to the restaurant a few floors above. Ignis had been there many times previously, often with a sulky Noctis in tow. In comparison,  Prompto was much quieter and alert though. He had just about gotten the hang of escalators too, only falling a couple of steps behind this time. “So, do you have any thoughts on what you would like for lunch? They do a lot of nice sandwiches here. Or there’s some hot dishes available if you’d like.” 

 

Ignis led them over to a table, habit meant that he never waited to be seated, always choosing the most suitable one, whether it was for security or plain ambiance. He had the pick of the room as it was early and was still quiet. “Here.” He passed Prompto a menu. Prompto peered at it carefully. Turning it over and inspecting it all in detail. “Anything you need help with?” Ignis asked.

 

“What is a las-ag-ne?” Asked Prompto, pronouncing it in syllables. He didn’t get it right at all.

 

“A lasagne.” Ignis began, pronouncing it properly. He could see Prompto’s mouth try it out for himself. “ Is a dish with layers of sheets of pasta and a tomato and meat based sauce and bechamel sauce, if you’re doing it right. Have You ever had pasta?”

 

“Like the shapes?” Pasta shapes? Ah, pasta shapes, like in the tin. Ignis groaned inwardly. He remembered the trouble Gladio had had when Iris’ favourite moogle shapes had been discontinued. The temper tantrums had been awful from what he could recall.

 

“Technically, yes.” reasoned Ignis. “Except instead of extruded shapes, they’re flat sheets.” And they’re not covered in a terrible tasting sauce full of sugar and they’re actually cooked instead of left to go soft through osmosis. Somehow Ignis managed to keep his rant internal. “It would be very difficult to get lasagne in a can, I would think.”

 

“You can get lots of things in cans.” said Prompto. “Bread, vegetables, stew, curry. I liked the curry.” At last, Prompto was talking again. That was good. Chocobos and curry. It wasn’t to go by, but it was a start. Ignis tried to think of how to continue from there. He could go into a lot of detail about curry, but he didn’t think that would help. If it just came out of a can, then it wasn’t going to be anything special.

 

“I’m quite partial to a few things. “ Ignis ventured. “But my favourites have a perfect balance between meat and starch, that is both filling and tasty without being too heavy.” And he’d lost Prompto, Ignis realised as Prompto cocked his head to one side. It wasn’t his fault that he had a refined palate, unlike some people he could think of. “The pot pie sounds nice.” He tried to recover.

 

“Everything sounds nice.” Prompto said quietly, still poring over the menu. “I will have the lasagne. Please.”

 

“Anything you would like to drink?” Prompto looked back at the menu.

 

“A lemonade?” He asked with the hesitation of someone who wasn’t quite sure what they were ordering. Ignis caught the attention of the waiter, who came over to take their order. He made sure to ask for some water as well, just in case.The waiter took their menus from them and left again, leaving them in silence.

 

“Do you have any questions you want to ask me?” Ignis tried to break the silence. “About Insomnia, or the Citadel or anything else you might think of.” He was clutching at straws here.

 

Prompto looked thoughtful, his mouth opened, a question on the tip of his tongue, but then he closed it again. He thought again. “Uh. Do you know why I’m here?” He asked, in a tone that sounded similar to Ignis’ own confusion. He had no idea why he was currently here either, other than that Cor had asked him to be. Why it had to be him was a mystery. Ignis assumed it was a matter of convenience. However, Ignis did not think that that was what Prompto meant. 

 

“Well, from what I gather, you’ve been a great help to us thus far, and we would like to continue working with you.” Ignis explained, trying to distance himself from Lady Vera’s vocabulary, calling people assets and packets and objects, terms that really shouldn’t be used when the person is sat right in front of you. “That is, if you’re amenable to it. I’m sure you’ll be adequately reimbursed and of course, we’ll keep you safe from those you left behind. Perhaps we might even be able to assist with your family making the crossing?” The personnel summary had stated that he was a relative of someone working in the labs. It might be too late to save them, but if they had other family members still facing repercussions, they could try and reach out to assist.

 

Looking back up at Prompto, Ignis suddenly felt that he had said the wrong thing. Prompto was panicked and almost looked fit to burst into tears, or laughter, or both. Ignis immediately went into damage control. “My apologies. I’m sure they’re safe where they are.” The lie went smoothly from his mouth, he really wasn’t.

 

Ignis had just made it worse, Prompto ducked his head down and curled up again, much like he had that morning. It was at this point that the waiter returned with their drinks, placing them quickly to escape the heavy aura between the two customers. Prompto fiddled with the straw in his drink for a little while before he finally took a sip.

 

“It tastes like Ramuh’s Cider.” Said Prompto, moving the subject along, proving to be more adept than Ignis was at that point.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“A drink that I had, um, where was it, on the slough?”

 

“That’s up on the northern edge of Duscae, isn’t it?” The first stop past a large imperial checkpoint to boot. 

 

“Yes. But we went south through the slough itself to avoid the checkpoints. Just in case.”

 

“Ah, that must have been quite treacherous. The terrain around there can be quite rough.” He’d only seen it in maps, but it was all cliffs and mountains between that area, a natural border that made it easy for the Empire to section regions off. 

 

“The chocobos could handle it, with a bit of coaxing. They were really brave, it helps when there were extra greens at the end.” Prompto had that dreamy expression on his face again, lost in thoughts of chocobos. “And they’re really good at finding a path too. You’d never think that you could go through half of the undergrowth or over some of the ridges there, but they did.”

 

“They must be very well trained.” agreed Ignis. “We have some chocobos in Insomnia too, even royal stables. They’re very big for chocobos, and well trained to ride in parades, they have to deal with huge crowds and a lot of noise. I could try and organise a visit, if you would like?” Prompto nodded vigorously. “Right, I will get that sorted in the next couple of weeks, and I’ll let you know.” Prompto looked a little doubtful, but still buoyed by the possibility of chocobos. He sipped more of the lemonade before becoming distracted, looking around the restaurant. Ignis took the opportunity to message his uncle yet again.

 

Ignis: You could have warned me that family was a contentious issue.

Uncle Met: He doesn’t have a family.

Ignis: The report says he is a relative of an imperial researcher.

 

There was a long gap between texts. Ignis wasn’t sure if this was his uncle trying to avoid him or if he was genuinely busy. Prompto was fiddling with the tablecloth, stroking the lace edge. Ignis couldn’t tell if it was an absent minded motion, a comforting one or if Prompto was really interested in the intricate design of the scalloped edge. It was a little gaudy for Ignis’ taste, truth be told.

 

Uncle Met: That’s a very reductive way of putting it, but technically true.

Uncle Met: You’re trained in these sorts of niceties, Ignis. Surely you know what you should do when personal history and scandal proves to be a problem.

Ignis: Talk about the weather?

Uncle Met: That would be a start I suppose.

Uncle Met: But you know that people usually like to talk about themselves. Or advice. People love to help. If you can't talk about what's been in the past, why not try what's ahead?

Ignis: I'll try. Thank you uncle.

Uncle Met: You're welcome. Supper tonight?

Ignis: I'll be sure to leave room for it.

 

Even though he'd had his uncle's advice, it was still easier said than done. Couldn't lead a conversation organically in the right direction when there wasn't any conversation in the first place. Every time he tried it seemed to get derailed. Right, focus on Insomnia, not whatever had happened in Niflheim.

 

"How have you found Insomnia so far?" It was a bland and vapid line of conversation, and if Prompto was actually disinclined to talk he would have easily been brushed off. 

 

"It's big." Prompto was trying to think of something. "And busy. And bright."

 

"And lots of other things beginning with B?" Ignis teased. Prompto ducked his head. "I don't blame you, many people from outside the Wall say that it can be quite overwhelming when they first get here." Speaking of which, he wondered how the Kingsglaive were getting on. He hadn't heard anything new since the previous day. All he could do was hope for the best. "Some even now, a few years later. So don't worry if it's still so after a few months."

 

"I've never been out properly like this before." Prompto looked over at the other side of the room, where there were wide windows. You could see the movement of people in the buildings opposite and where it was darker there was the reflection of the sky on the glass. "Only between the safehouse and the Citadel and maybe somewhere else? I don’t really remember. I’m sorry.”

 

“Sorry for what? I’m sure I don’t need to know about that, unless you think there was something wrong that you should tell me about? Or someone?” Ignis paused for a moment. He couldn’t believe for a moment that Cor would be responsible for mistreating an informant, but perhaps Intelligence had been heavy handed? But Prompto had been nothing but co-operative, if a little anxious, so far and he wouldn’t have been allowed to leave the premises if they thought he was purposefully withholding information.

 

Thankfully, Prompto shook his head vigorously. Ignis breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. But if you feel that any one has hurt you or tried to hurt you in anyway, you can come to me.”

 

“There was a guard once.” Prompto begin, after a few moments. “He tried to trip me. But the Marshall saw and he got reprimanded. I think.” Prompto looked worried now. “He didn’t get hurt did he?”

 

Ignis had to take a second to parse the question. “Oh no. Corporal punishment such as lashings and beatings have been outlawed for centuries. Although I can’t say that there wasn’t something menial, like latrine duty or the like.” It was interesting that Prompto inquired about the perpetrator’s well being. Was he a bleeding heart or just a believer in proportional force? He could imagine what someone disappearing off the rota might have meant in Niflheim. Here, it was only a demotion or a firing. “I’m glad that you can rely on the Marshall. Have you known him long?” Cor had seemed fairly involved, although that wasn’t that much of a surprise, Prompto was quite the VIP.

 

“He met us just outside of the Wall. He and Dave talked and then he drove me to a safehouse. I got some sleep and got clean and then we had burgers. It was nice.” Prompto was easily pleased. So the Marshall had been handling Prompto from the start. They did seem to be familiar with each other. Ignis thought of how Prompto had looked to Cor for every move like a little duckling. He wondered if the plans for Prompto would prove to be a little too much, too fast if they wanted him working from tomorrow onwards. Ignis was good, but he was no miracle worker. “He says I should get some things for my room. Do you think the chocobo can stay in my room?”

 

“That’s what toys like that are for. They’re often taken by children to bed, to hold while they sleep. I’m sure it would be happy to live in your bed, but only if you make it.” He remembered using that line on Noctis when he was five and had gotten a new moogle toy. He’d told Noctis that it would fly away if there wasn’t anywhere clear to land, and Noctis had made his bed without complaint for an entire week. Until Gladio opened his big mouth and told Noctis it wasn’t real. Ignis and Gladio had then gotten into a fight and hadn’t spoken to each other for the next two weeks. 

 

“I always make my bed.” Prompto cocked his head to the side. “Do chocobos care about the corners?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“My corners aren’t always tight enough and the coin bounces.” Prompto had been subject to room inspections at some point. He knew about hospital corners and had had to make his own bed correctly. Strange, Ignis had assumed he was a civilian. Boarding school perhaps? .

 

The picture of Prompto that Ignis was forming really was a mish mash of bits that should have been inconsequential. He’d crossed the continent, but couldn’t cross the road. Couldn’t pick his own clothes, but could make his bed to military standards. Loved chocobos, but didn’t know what to do with his toys. It wasn’t the nicest picture that Ignis was conjuring right then. No wonder Cor had said to come in with an open mind. Yet he couldn’t because years of childminding came to the fore, but now he didn’t have the years of familiarity to fall back on, so he came off as harsh and overbearing.

 

At least they had talked the wait for food away. Talking looked like the last thing on Prompto’s mind when the food was put on the table. He was almost visibly vibrating with the anticipation, but he still waited for Ignis to pick up his cutlery first. Ignis decided to have mercy and dug in quickly. Prompto followed suit. He did the same as he had done with the cinnamon swirls earlier. His first bite was tiny, only a small amount of the white sauce on the top, but the next was bigger.

 

“Be careful, it should be quite hot.” Prompto blew on the forkful he had, waiting for it to cool.

His eyes lit up as he tasted the dish properly. He hurriedly went for more, barely waiting for each forkful to cool before eating. Ignis remembered how quickly he had eaten the cinnamon rolls, but hadn’t quite realised how ravenous he had been. It was easy to do it neatly with a pastry. Lasagne, not so much. Ignis almost laughed as he saw a large smear of meaty sauce appear on Prompto’s face. He managed to keep it off of his clothes though, Ignis suspected it was only because that would be wasting food otherwise. Ignis was distracted from his own meal, worrying that Prompto would get it everywhere. Eventually he gave up and started on the food. The pastry was still lovely and flaky, and the filling still steamed when he lifted the lid up to reveal large chunks of meat. It was time to dig in.

 

Ah, he sighed to himself, it was as good as last time. He would have hated to be let down. He ate slowly but steadily, unrushed by the shovelling in front of him. 

 

“Good?” He asked, causing Prompto to stop for a few moments to nod his head. He was almost halfway through and Ignis had only had a few bites of his own. Prompto must have been hungry. Even after breakfast and a chocolate bar. Ignis went back to his own food. He would have to come back here next time he was running errands. It could be his little reward for something he otherwise wouldn’t want to do. Even he had his preferences for chores; He just had to make sure that Noct didn’t find out.

 

Ignis thought back to his work, wondering how much of his to do pile that day would actually be taken care of and how much he would have to catch up on instead. Then it moved on to that evening. What would he make Noct for dinner? He had several dishes pre-made in the freezer and the fridge (all the better to keep it free of junk food), he could just heat one of those up. Maybe it would be a lasagne. Seeing Prompto enjoy his so heartily was causing Ignis to have something of a craving for it. And it contained enough vegetables, finely chopped and hidden, that he could be happy that Noctis was eating it, even with all of the cheese. He would still have to make a side salad though, if only for appearance’s sake.

 

Well at least someone likes vegetables, thought Ignis, as Prompto discovered the side salad on his plate and began to eat. He wasn’t as fast as he was with the main dish, but it might have been because rocket was more difficult to get on the fork. Prompto finished the last of his meal when Ignis was only just halfway through his own. He washed it down with the last of his lemonade. Then he was quiet, waiting and watching Ignis as he ate. It was a little off-putting to be truthful. But he had to do the same when Noctis had decided that half his meal was inedible and was sulkily staring at him. Prompto didn’t look half as mean, which helped.

 

He was over three quarters of the way through and beginning to feel comfortably full when he decided to offer some to Prompto. He eyed him warily for a moment, like he didn’t believe him, before accepting happily and taking a little on his fork.

 

“I like that one better.” Prompto admitted. He was a little upset that he had missed out and was pouting a little. Ignis cut the last quarter in half and shared it onto Prompto’s plate. Prompto scooped it up happily. The both quickly finished and the plates were taken away in short order. The dessert menu was left behind. Ignis was always a sucker for the dessert menu, though he wouldn’t admit it, even upon pain of death.

 

“Would you like something for dessert?” Asked Ignis, thinking of how he’d devoured lunch easily. And Ignis usually had enough room for something sweet. Different stomachs and all that - it was a scientific fact.

 

“Yes. Please.” Prompto added, as though manners were more of an afterthought to him, but still important. Ignis passed the card over.

 

“Let me know if you need any help with it.” Ignis looked over the menu. He was feeling in the mood for something light, perhaps something meringue based or a mousse of some kind. Light and fluffy. Or just some ice cream perhaps? Sorbet would be even lighter. But he could get ice cream from anywhere, why waste the opportunity?

 

A Fenestalan Mess sounded quite nice right now, cream and fruit and meringue in equal measure. Now to help Prompto decided.

 

“What’s the chocolate thing?” asked Prompto, pointing to the item in question on the menu.

 

“A chocolate gateau?” Prompto mouthed the word again, putting it to memory. “It’s a light cake, layered with fruit and cream, and chocolate in this case. It can be quite heavy, are you sure you can eat it?”

 

“I can eat it!” Prompto reassured, not wanting to lose the opportunity to have dessert.

 

“Okay then.” Ignis would let Prompto eat what he wanted. He didn’t think Prompto ate like this everyday.

 

They ordered their desserts and managed to restart their conversation about Cor again; he had given Prompto a few books to read, some simple modern dramas (possibly stolen from Gladio - it was a small world), but it was apparently slow going for Prompto. Ignis made a mental note to inquire about a tutor for him, if he was having problems reading. He wouldn’t mention it to Cor, that just seemed like a recipe to get roped into it again and Ignis had his plate full already. Ignis was sure there was someone in the citadel who could do it instead.

 

Not that he didn’t want to help. Ignis decided that he would take Prompto to the bookstore after this and help him pick something more appropriate for his age and level. Teenagers didn’t always like to read anyway. It was a pain with Noctis, although a video-game tie in was always swiftly picked up and put down finished in a day, often with the whine of “But they didn’t put that in the game!?”

 

Dessert was a slower affair than the entree had been. Ignis still hadn’t pestered Prompto about the smudge on his face, which was for the best, as it was quickly covered by chocolate. Ignis’ own choice was delicious as expected and he was left feeling sated and relaxed. He wouldn’t be up for much more at this rate, a pleasant jaunt around the bookshop sounded like a good idea before he had to go pick up Noct and carry on with the rest of his duties. He would have to chase up Cor and ask when he would be finished and who he should hand over Prompto to, if not himself. He sent off a quick message to Cor asking how things were going.

 

Prompto was determined to get through his cake, even when Ignis told him that it would be ok to leave it. He finished and threw the fork onto the plate as though it had offended him. Ignis wondered if he would have to roll Prompto out of the store.

 

As much as he would like to have sat and let it all settle, if they wanted to go to the bookstore and then come back to collect their purchases, they would have to leave soon. No time for hanging about, so Ignis asked for the bill, which he paid on his business card. He’d forward it on to the crownsguard accounts to be paid later.

 

They left at a much slower pace than they had came in.

 

“Do you have a favourite genre Prompto?” He asked on their way. The question went over Prompto’s head. Ignis tried again. “What do you like to hear stories about?”

 

“Well the hunters I was with told lots of ghost stories. I don’t know if I like them. I wanted to hear them, but then I didn’t.”

 

“Ah, yes, but you can’t just stop half way through, or it’s even worse.” Ignis sympathised.

 

“Yeah.” Prompto sighed. “They started telling me about Sleeping Beauty at one point. I-I didn’t know who that was, but they kept calling anyone who was caught napping that. They said it was a fairytale?”

 

“Yes, and quite a famous one.” Ignis was fairly sure that a lot of them originated from Niflheim and some even dated as far back as Solheim, so it was odd that Prompto didn’t know one, let alone the fact that the concept of a fairy tale was foreign to him. Well that would be easily fixed. Where in the bookshop would he find a book of fairy tales? He made a beeline to the children’s section, Prompto following behind closely. Fairy tales, fairy tales, Ignis scanned the shelves, looking for what was most likely a thick volume. Ah, there was one looked promising. It wasn’t too basic, this version was on the older children’s shelf. It was quite a pretty edition too, with a fake gilt pattern. He turned to Prompto, who had vanished. A moment’s looking revealed him by the infant’s books. When he stepped closer, Ignis saw that he had found the infamous Merlin the Moogle, who had lost his kupo nut. It was a book that could reliably reduce Gladio to tears of laughter and Ignis had fond memories of laughing through it too, even though Iris was completely unaware (and would remain so if Gladio had anything to do with it). It was awfully immature, but Ignis couldn’t help but snort as Prompto flipped one of the flaps as Merlin the Moogle looked under various woodland objects and even other characters, crying that he’d lost his nut. He prayed that Prompto didn’t ask anything about it. He didn’t think that he could keep a straight face.

 

Prompto looked up a little guiltily and closed the book. Ignis held up the book that he had found. “I think this will do for you.” He passed it over, and Prompto opened it. He read down the page. “Can you read it?”

 

“Yes, I can read it.” However, he sounded unsure. “ I don’t know what a spindle is though.”

 

Ignis could deal with that, he looked around for another book. A dictionary would do the job, but should he go for a children’s one or for a normal full sized one? He gave the children’s version a quick flip through, before deciding that he would just be insulting Prompto if he did pick that one. So they went upstairs to the reference section. He picked up the standard Lucian dictionary and handed it over. “You can use that to look up the meaning of words you don’t know.”

 

Prompto nodded and added it to his pile. “Was there anything else you were interested in?” Except the Merlin the Moogle book, Ignis prayed. Please, anything but the Merlin the Moogle book.

 

“Um... The book I was looking at before. The animals talk...” Prompto was reluctant to ask about it. “I thought it was fun and I would like to read more? But longer.”

 

Oh thank the six. “I’m sure we can find something. Let’s go back downstairs.”

 

They walked past Merlin the Moogle without Prompto batting an eyelid. Ignis stopped in front of the older children’s shelf again. There, higher up, second shelf down, was one that looked promising. It even had woodland creatures on the cover. He skimmed the blurb, animals working together, family, friends, yes, that sounded good. He passed it to Prompto who tucked it under his arm.

 

Ignis checked his watch. Time to start wrapping up. “That should keep you for a few nights at least. You’ll be busy during the day, I’ll imagine.” Or maybe not, Ignis still had his doubts. He just had to trust in the decision of others. It was proving difficult.

 

Cor’s card was used for the last time that day as the books were rung up. This time they didn’t leave the purchases behind. Prompto swung the bag happily as he walked along. The clothes were picked up, Ignis helped Prompto, as there were a couple of bags and a suit cover to carry. Ignis had forgotten that he had bought so much. Prompto sped up as they closed in on the toy store, this time he remembered to stop at the crossing and follow the crowd across. When they were in front of the store, he hesitated, waiting for Ignis to go in front of him. Ignis led Prompto to the desk where the clerk was waiting. Only a few moments later, the chocobo was delivered into the arms of its rightful owner, who clutched him tightly.

 

They walked back to the Citadel at a steady pace, even though Prompto could barely see around his new toy. The bakery that Prompto had stared at so longingly earlier that day held no interest to him as they walked on by. Laden down with their purchases, they crawled their way up the steps and into the lobby. Ignis guided Prompto to a convenient bench and dropped all of their things. Ignis looked over at where the guard at the desk was eyeing it all up, he walked over.

 

“I’ll sign off on all of it if I have to.” He sighed irritably. “I was there when it was all purchased and he’s not going further into the building.” At least he didn’t think so. He looked at his phone to check for a reply from Cor. There was a message that said Prompto was going to be escorted back by Monica. He replied with their location - the main lobby and then, once the guard had finally given them the all clear, returned to Prompto to give his farewells.

 

“It was nice to meet you Prompto, I hope you had an enjoyable time.” Ignis had enjoyed it for the most part. Prompto had been pleasant, if a bit passive. Perhaps he would make a note to check in with Cor from time to time. Or perhaps not, given how insistent Cor had been, it would only lead to more work for Ignis. “I’ll be leaving to return to my duties now. Don’t forget to hang those up.” Ignis motioned to the new clothes. “You’ll have to look your best tomorrow.” 

 

He turned away, but stopped as Prompto reached out for his arm and clasped the back of his jacket. Ignis turned back and saw the look of panic on Prompto’s face. He was about to ask what was wrong, when Prompto keeled over and was promptly sick all over Ignis’ shoes. Ignis did his best to step out of the way, but it was too little, too late. He gave a little sound of disgust and tried not to think about the fact that he was never going to be able to wear these shoes again.

 

Cor had better buy him a new pair. In fact, Ignis thought that he’d make him pay for two.


End file.
